Lord Danzo!
Uchiha Itachi's gaze sharpened!
Uchiha Itachi had heard this name before.
Once, while accompanying Uchiha Shisui during an examination, he encountered a severely injured ninja. From that injured ninja, he learned that Danzo had done things harmful to Konoha. The ninja was even attacked by Danzo's subordinates and was eventually killed. To prevent disputes in Konoha, everything was left unresolved.
Uchiha Itachi later learned of Shimura Danzo's identity and knew that Shimura Danzo held the position of Hokage Assistant, a role of significant power and influence.
This boy...
Could he be one of Shimura Danzo's subordinates?
Why is it that all of Shimura Danzo's subordinates seem to be bad people? This boy looks to be about the same age as me, yet he even deceives these Genin taking the exam!
"Why do you look so upset?"
Akihara Kagura looked at Uchiha Itachi's expression and suddenly chuckled: "It seems you know Lord Danzo and might be somewhat dissatisfied with him?"
"No..."
Uchiha Itachi quickly shook his head, his expression gradually calming: "I just don't quite understand why you're deceiving them?"
"Hmm? Why?"
Akihara Kagura tilted his head, seemingly pondering this strange question: "I just wanted to reduce some competition for the exam, so it's not surprising to use a few tactics, right? Ninjas are supposed to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals."
"..."
Uchiha Itachi was speechless.
This Uchiha prodigy thought for a moment and suddenly said: "But the village won't let this happen. There can't be only two candidates in this Chunin Exam, the exam time will probably be delayed..."
"Tsk..."
Akihara Kagura looked at the empty room, his mood seeming to become a bit more relaxed: "Maybe, but with fewer people here, I can relax for a bit."
At the Hokage Tower.
Screens were set up in the Hokage Office.
These displays were broadcasting everything happening in the waiting area of the written Chunin Exam, where a group of Konoha higher-ups watched Akihara Kagura's clever maneuvering, dumbfounded.
"A very clever child!"
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was the first to laugh, even commenting with interest: "Something like this happening in the Chunin Exam..."
"Alas..."
"This can't do..."
"What's with this child!"
"If it goes on like this, there will only be two candidates for the entire Chunin Exam!"
"This will disgrace the village in front of other ninja villages!"
"There are fewer candidates than examiners; how can the exam proceed like this? We must send someone to stop it quickly!"
The two Hokage Advisors sitting next to him were discussing heatedly. They didn't find Akihara Kagura's actions amusing but instead thought it might cause trouble.
"Danzo, what do you think?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked towards his old friend and asked: "This is a child from your group, what's his name?"
"Have someone put a stop to all this first..."
Shimura Danzo replied coldly, not interested in humoring Sarutobi Hiruzen, and continued: "Even outstanding ones who want to show their strength need someone to set them off."
"Namiashi Raido."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked towards a group of Special Jonin waiting for orders and called on one of them: "You're the chief examiner for the first part of the Chunin selection exam, go handle this situation."
"Yes."
Namiashi Raido stood up and nodded respectfully.
Namiashi Raido's face bore scars from the wartime, making him look somewhat intimidating, yet he was a gentle man in both speech and action.
"Although I think having only two candidates left in the exam suits the spirit of the Chunin selection, this is ultimately an exam that requires scale..."
Namiashi Raido looked at the present Konoha higher-ups, who seemed to agree with his suggestion, and continued: "I propose we let Uchiha Itachi and Jia move directly to the second round."
"Jia deceived all the candidates, and only Uchiha Itachi wasn't fooled. Both of them are Genin taking the exam alone, so there's no need to test their will with the final question. As for the other Genin who were deceived, they can retake the exam."
"Agreed."
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, nodded with satisfaction.
"Agreed."
The two Hokage Advisors also nodded with approval.
"Agreed."
Hokage Assistant Shimura Danzo nodded and then reminded: "Namiashi Raido, don't call him Jia in front of that child, just refer to him as Akihara Kagura."
"Huh?"
Namiashi Raido looked at Shimura Danzo with some confusion and cautiously asked: "But on the Chunin Exam roster, the name he wrote is Jia..."
"That's what he wrote himself."
Shimura Danzo, concerned that Namiashi Raido calling him Jia might cause trouble, reminded: "Only I can call him Jia; you just call him Akihara Kagura."
After all...
That child tends to cause trouble over a name.
However, on the Chunin Exam registration form, that child dutifully wrote Jia, so Shimura Danzo didn't suspect that the child didn't want to use the name Jia.
"Yes..."
Namiashi Raido could only agree.
Outside the Hokage Tower.
A group of Genin was diligently looking for the notice about the new exam site.
However, this group of Genin soon received news about being deceived, and although they initially wanted to curse, they ended up being scolded by the chief examiner instead.
"You fell for such a simple Transformation Jutsu!"
Namiashi Raido looked at these Genin, who were still eager to curse, and the scar on his left cheek twitched with anger: "You candidates are the worst batch in Konoha's history!"
"..."
The Genin didn't dare make a sound.
Kakashi Hatake, after having ramen with Tianzang, saw a group of rushing Genin glaring at him, and one even wanted to pick a fight.
Why...
are these Genin hostile toward him?
"Hey, calm down!"
Someone loudly stopped the Genin and scolded: "This is the real Jonin Kakashi Hatake, and you bunch who got fooled better head back to the exam!"
"What happened?"
Tianzang curiously asked.
Namiashi Raido glanced at Kakashi Hatake with some embarrassment: "There's a candidate named Akihara Kagura who transformed into the shape of Senior Kakashi Hatake, knocked out a Chunin maintaining order, and drove all the Genin candidates out of the exam!"
"..."
Kakashi Hatake's forehead twitched.
What's up with that kid? He was smearing the Dark Department over a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen this morning, and already he's pulled another prank on his watch?
On the other side.
A group of Genin candidates was still hustling between locations.
Akihara Kagura and Uchiha Itachi also learned they passed the first round of written exams and could proceed to the second round ahead of time.
"It's a bit of a shame..."
Akihara Kagura seemed somewhat unfulfilled: "This was the only part that could have blocked me from passing, and I haven't even pulled out most of my cheating tricks yet!"
"Cheating?"
Uchiha Itachi was somewhat puzzled and curiously asked, because he had always been an academic achiever: "Written exams are quite simple... why would you need to cheat?"
"In this world, what you think is simple might be difficult for others."
Akihara Kagura cast a deep look at Uchiha Itachi, as if committing his present expression to memory.